Principal Systems Standards Engineer

Daifuku•Grand Rapids Charter Township, MI

About The Position

The Principal Systems Standards Engineer serves as the organization's highest-level authority for material handling system architecture, engineering standards, and design governance. This role is responsible for developing, maintaining, and continuously improving the engineering frameworks, design methodologies, and technical standards used across all customer projects. This position establishes scalable and repeatable system design practices that improve solution quality, reduce engineering effort, enhance project execution, and support the company's long-term technology strategy. As a senior technical leader, this position provides mentorship and guidance to engineering teams, evaluates emerging technologies, approves significant deviations from established standards, and ensures consistency in the design and implementation of automation solutions across the enterprise.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related technical discipline
Minimum of 10 years of experience in material handling automation, intralogistics, warehouse automation, or related industries.
Extensive experience designing and integrating complex material handling systems.
CAD experience
Expert knowledge of material handling automation systems and technologies.
Advanced system architecture and systems integration expertise.
Strong engineering standards development and technical governance capabilities.
Proficiency in WMS, WCS, WES, controls, and software integration concepts.
Ability to lead complex system design reviews and technical risk assessments.
Exceptional system-level troubleshooting and problem-solving skills.
Ability to develop scalable, modular, and repeatable engineering solutions.
Proven ability to drive engineering standardization and continuous improvement initiatives.
Strong technical leadership and influence across multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to evaluate emerging technologies and develop technology roadmaps.
Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.
Ability to mentor and develop engineering talent.
Strong strategic thinking and business acumen.
Ability to balance innovation, risk, cost, and operational requirements.
Ability to make sound technical decisions and provide enterprise-wide engineering leadership.

Responsibilities

Develop, maintain, and govern company-wide standards for material handling system design.
Establish standard system architectures, design methodologies, and engineering best practices.
Create engineering design guides, reference architectures, and reusable solution frameworks.
Define acceptable design practices and technical requirements for automation systems.
Review complex system designs and provide technical guidance to ensure alignment with established standards, performance objectives, and customer requirements.
Evaluate, approve, and document deviations from established engineering standards while assessing associated technical, operational, and business risks.
Lead periodic reviews and continuous improvement of engineering standards.
Drive standardization initiatives that improve engineering efficiency and project execution.
Analyze project lessons learned and incorporate findings into engineering standards.
Supports the distribution of standards through Codex initiative.
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to Systems Engineers, Engineering teams, and Applications teams.
Evaluate emerging automation technologies and industry trends.
Monitor, interpret, and maintain expertise in applicable industry standards, codes, regulations, and strategic customer technical specifications, ensuring engineering standards and design practices remain current and compliant.
Support product development and strategic technology roadmaps.
Develop enterprise-level KPI metrics to measure project performance in order to evaluate effectiveness of engineering standards.